Twisting the Truth Doesn't Make It Real

Summary: Skye witnesses an event that sends her on a hunt for answers in Ward's past. Wading through the conflicting information, she finds a twisted mass of lies spanning 31 years. Can she find the truth?

Chapter 1

-31 years ago-

It was sharp, the knocking. Sharp
enough to rouse Andrew Ward from his semi-drunken stupor. Lifting his
head from where it had been sagging against his chest, he scowled and
managed to push his way to his feet. His suit was crumpled- he really
should have changed when he got home- but he ignored that fact in
favor of reaching the door before it could wake his damn kids. He
didn't need their whining right now.

Throwing open the door, he was ready to spit in the face of the man
in front of him. "Who the hell are you?"

"Fabulous, Cyrus is dead and his son is a drunk," scowled
the man on the doorstep. "This is not what he needs at all. You
must become sober, boy. For your sake and his."

"My sake is my business," slurred Andrew. "Not your-"

"Actually, it is entirely my business," stated the unknown
man before he gestured to his arms.

Dropping his eyes, Andrew blinked rapidly in an attempt to identify
the object in the man's arms. It squirmed a little, whatever it was,
and after a moment fussing noises began to emit from the bundle. A
baby? This man was carrying around a baby? "What's with the
kid?"

"You mean your child," stated the man simple. In the blink
of an eye, he had swapped Andrew's whiskey glass for the child. It
was only the automatic reaction of having two other children that
kept Andrew from dropping him. "He's yours now."

"What?!" sputtered Andrew, trying to thrust the child back
at this stranger. "No! What? Who the hell are you?"

"Doctor Thaddeus Sims," replied the man crisply. "Your
father and I used to work together on....projects. He owed me a favor
but, as he is no longer with us, repayment falls to you."
Pulling a pile of papers from his suit, the Sims half flung them at
Andrew, the papers landing on the child. "I've already had the
papers drawn up showing he's yours. He's currently four months old
and his name is now Grant Douglas Ward. Take good care of him- he's
our most delicate experiment yet."

"And if I refuse?" growled Andrew. "What if I just
drop this kid in the nearest orphanage and tell you to go fuck
yourself, huh?"

A dark look swept across Sims' face, dangerous in every way you could
imagine. "Your father owed a very large blood debt to me. This
is the payment. If you kill or attempt to remove from your custody in
any way this child, I will destroy your life and everything in it,
leaving you as little more than a worthless pile of trash. This child
is too important for me to risk losing him in the system. He is the
cumulative result of my work. Watch him like a hawk. When the time is
right, I will send someone for him." Without another word, Sims
turned on his heel and headed back towards the front street. "Have
a good evening, Mr. Ward, and remember what I said."

Chapters

Janaki Sundararaman:
The frame of the story has a beautiful structure on which the narration is spun with twists and turns tolook forward with lots of expectations about the coming chapters.There are many characters in the story line,all woven into intricate style to speak the story in its own way.The protagonist is ...

Jordan Young:
*ALERT FOR POSSIBLE SPOILERS* Where to start? I don't know how to sum up this review, this story was absolutely sensational. Brilliant. Flawless. I loved every single bit of this story, it is truly amazing. I read this story in fifteen hours, it is magnificent. I loved everything about it, the p...

JanThompson:
This book gives a beautiful description of a country which one rarely gets to see. The contrast between rich and poor is very evident too.The storyline actually sheds a compelling light on why women in certain countries sell themselves just to help their families or even to survive themselves. I ...

PaulSenkel:
If you like Arthur C. Clarke's Odyssey, especially The Final Odyssey, then you will probably also enjoy this book. I definitely did.It does, however, address a more adolescent public than the above-mentioned book.I enjoyed the story and finished it in a few days. The overall situation on earth an...

Lea Sutherland-Doane:
I love this story and it hurts me that it is on a cliff hanger. Please write the next story fast so I can enjoy more of your wonderful writing skills. Your writing skills are amazing and I cannot wait to read the sequel, I promise that this is the best book I have ever read and I love it will al...

aeratheninja:
Interestingly enough, this story touches on different psychological states and was very informing, on top of being a solid story. Although somewhat predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this; I could feel the fear and the frustration of the characters, and was happy when they were happy.Even ...

Felisa Yoder Osburn:
I really enjoyed the story. Civil War stories are some of my favorites and the intertwining of the past with current times was wonderful. I look forward to reading the next stories.

M.L. Bull:
Hello, Aalia!Your story compelled the emotional pain and struggle of a teenage girl very well.. The imagery was also convincing and well-written, showing the different personalities of your characters and their actions. However, I do think that many of your sentences are too lengthy and could use...